Importing students from a spreadsheet

If you are moving from another system or a spreadsheet, you can import students one class at a time instead of typing each admission. The import also creates family records, so parents and guardians are linked from day one.

Before you start

• Your classes, sections and the present session must already be set up. Each import goes into one class.
• Add any regions, categories and branches you want to assign, so they appear in the import form.
• You need permission to use the admission register.
• Have your data in Excel format (.xls or .xlsx).

Steps

1. Go to Students > Admission Register.
2. Open the Import Students tab. You will see Import Bulk Students.
3. Click Download Sample File and open it in Excel.
4. Fill in one row per student. The columns in red are required: Admission Number, Student Name, the family ID number, Guardian Name and Guardian Mobile. The other columns, such as gender, date of birth, parents' details, addresses, discount and arrears, are optional.
5. Back on the import form, choose the Class these students belong to. Optionally choose a Branch, Section, Group, Category and Region. Every student in the file gets the same choices.
6. Click Select excel file and pick your filled-in file.
7. Click save. When it finishes you see a message such as "28 of 28 students saved."
8. Repeat for each class.

How families are handled

The family ID number column links brothers and sisters together. If a family with that number already exists, the student is added to it. If not, a new family is created using the guardian's name and mobile number, and it gets the next family number. Use the same number on every row for children from the same family.

Good to know

• The import is all or nothing. If any row has a problem, nothing is saved and you see the line number to fix. Correct the file and upload it again.
• Admission numbers must be unique. The import stops if the same number appears twice in the file, or if it is already used by a student in the system.
• Each student's fee is set from the class fee, less any amount in the discount column.
• For colleges using batches and semesters, the form asks for Batch, Program and Semester instead of class, and you choose the courses to enrol.
• Imported students start with a default photo. You can add photos later from each student's record.
• To change data for students who already exist, do not import them again. Use Students > Active Students > Update Data (Via File), which matches each row on computer number, admission number or student ID and updates only the columns you choose.
• If you do not see this option, it may not be included in your plan or your role may not have permission; ask your administrator.

Common questions

How do students and families sign in after import?

They use their own login pages. If you need to issue fresh passwords to everyone, see the Commands tab in Campus Settings.

For an overview, see Student Information.